Bollywood film fans fall in love with PK despite Hindu nationalist protests

If aliens were to land in India today they would be greeted by a bewildering spectacle – while hordes of film buffs gather outside cinemas to see the latest Bollywood blockbuster, an angry mob waves saffron-coloured flags and calls for the arrest of the movie’s hero for allegedly defaming Hinduism.

PK, a hugely successful yet controversial film, is turning out to be the strangest phenomenon to emerge from a Bollywood studio. Even as Hindu leaders call for a ban on the film, it has grossed more than 4.82bn rupees (£49.1m) worldwide in its first two weeks, making it the second most successful Bollywood film of all time.

As it began its third week in cinemas on Friday, there was little doubt that if film fans continue to snub PK’s vociferous and occasionally violent critics, the movie will become the biggest money-spinner in Bollywood box office history, overtaking 2013’s Dhoom 3 (£54.7m).

Aamir Khan, one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, plays PK’s eponymous lead, an alien who gets left behind by his spaceship in the Rajasthan desert and stumbles on to the hypocrisy and deceit in organised religion. PK then sets about exposing a Hindu “godman”, a term for a particularly charismatic guru who may claim to have paranormal powers. The extraterrestrial social crusader resembles Mad magazine’s jug-eared mascot Alfred E Neuman, and often behaves like Mr Bean.

PK contains all the ingredients that a big-budget Bollywood film uses to attract audiences – song, dance, romance, melodrama, comedy, incredible plot twists. The rollicking satire also packs a message, something typical of films by director Rajkumar Hirani, who first had international success with 3 Idiots, also starring Khan.

Bollywood films have successfully lampooned godmen before, most recently in Oh My God! But PK hit the screens after the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) came to power last year on the wings of a strong popular mandate for its leader, Narendra Modi.

As a result, newly empowered radical Hindu organisations affiliated to the BJP pounced on PK after its release. Nationwide protests are being organised outside cinemas, even vandalising a few and forcing some to cancel screenings. Complaints have also been filed with the police and in courts demanding a ban on the film and the arrest of its director and star.

The influential yoga guru Baba Ramdev has even asked for a social boycott of everyone associated with the film. “People think a hundred times while talking against Islam,” he said. “However, when it comes to Hinduism any one gets up and says anything, this is shameful.”

PK (the title is a play on the Hindi word for being drunk) also has an elaborate side story that has further upset Hindu nationalists – the heroine falls in love with a Pakistani, is heartbroken when she thinks he has ditched her, but is eventually reunited with her Muslim boyfriend by the film’s lead. At a time when militant Hindu groups are conducting a high-decibel campaign against Indian Muslim men marrying Hindu women (a practice labelled “Love Jihad”), this is not a denouement that gets the approval of the religious right.

It does not help that Khan is an Indian Muslim of Pashtun lineage. So the hidden hand of Pakistan’s military intelligence agency ISI has also been sighted. “Who financed the PK film? According to my sources it is traceable to Dubai and ISI. DRI [India’s revenue intelligence agency] must investigate,” tweeted BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy.

Indians, however, appear to have fallen in love with the film, despite the protests, accepting Khan’s defence: “We respect all religions.” Even Bollywood actors have tweeted support. “Is PK not an amazzziiiiing film?” said Salman Khan. Pooja Bedi tweeted:

— Pooja Bedi (@poojabeditweets)

December 29, 2014

God wants SPIRITUAL FRUIT.. not RELIGIOUS NUTS!! LLet's support #PK

The hullabaloo appears to have sowed confusion in the BJP camp. In Mumbai, after a junior minister announced a police inquiry into PK, the BJP chief minister of Maharashtra state ruled out any action against the film. And even as angry Hindus smashed cinema foyers, BJP veteran leader Lal Krishna Advani hailed PK as “a wonderful and courageous film”.

But the one person whose opinion the public are usually keen to hear has remained silent. Though Modi loves to hold forth on social and cultural issues, he has not uttered a word yet on the PK drama. (Guardian)